GARDENING;
Begonias: Celebrating an Old Favorite

By JOAN LEE FAUST

Published: September 5, 1993

IMPATIENS seem to be planted everywhere now to provide summer flower color. This is a good thing because the plants are showy and provide ample display for little care.

But as bright and colorful as these succulent plants are, another succulent, durable annual needs to have its merits talked about because it is also showing off brightly: the bedding begonia. These plants have come a long way since grandmother's time.

Perhaps one reason for the lack of enthusiasm is their slow start. The plants never seem to amount to much when they are first planted. They take their good old time in getting started. But once bedding begonias root and start to grow and flower, a gardener is in for colorful surprises.

The old-fashioned bedding begonias, or as they were once known, wax begonias, were not too much to get excited about. In fact, many gardeners thought of them as old-timer plants, a species to be collected. This fact is partly true since the begonia clan is akin to a bag of potato chips. It is almost impossible to select just one. Since there are probably thousands of hybrids, let alone the 1,000 species or so in the clan, there should be no difficulty in filling pots.

Begonias are tropical plants and succumb to the first frosts, which explains their great popularity as indoor plants. Outdoors, bedding begonias are something else. The plants thrive in semi-shade or full sun and require just ordinary soil. If they are watered well and the summer does not become too hot, there can be glorious results.

To keep gardeners from getting confused, there are three basic types of begonias: tuberous-rooted, rhizomatous-rooted and fibrous-rooted. Tuberous-rooted begonias are the spectacular, large-flowered ones that have become the envy of gardeners because they often are tricky to grow; rhizomatous-rooted are known for their odd ear-shape leaves and the fibrous-rooted are the ones talked about here.

The fibrous-rooted begonias are often called wax begonias because their leaves are so shiny and the flowers continue all summer. The plants are self-cleaning, in that they drop old flowers but continue blooming. Most gardeners now buy started plants of bedding begonias because it seems to be easier. Begonia seed is small and difficult to handle. Seedlings come up slowly and they are hard to hold at transplanting time.

Wholesale growers have learned the knack of starting this minute seed indoors in late winter for the spring sales. Certain strains have hybrid vigor and have won fine reputations. One of the best has become known as the cocktail series. These plants have bronze-brown foliage. The flowers may be white (whisky), red (vodka) or pink (brandy). Garden centers usually have them all for sale in the spring. As for the green-leaved cultivars, many have been marketed this year, but even better ones will be seen on the market next year.

Another facet has been the increasing popularity of raising hanging basket plants, particularly begonias. The tuberous-rooted begonias have always been popular because the huge flowers hang down and you can look up into them.

More recently the fibrous-rooted begonias have become popular for growing in hanging baskets for the same reason. Although many cultivars have been used for hanging basket culture, one spectacular new one with bright red flowers and cascades of deep-green foliage will be on the market in a few years. It is called Spartan Beauty and was bred at Michigan State University.

The new hanging-basket begonia is the culmination of eight years of research by Dr. Lowell Ewart, professor of horticulture. His goal was a seed-produced hanging basket plant. He made almost 1,000 different crosses using an old-fashioned basket type, a bedding begonia and a species. His final result was introduced in conjunction with the university's dedication of its new horticultural demonstration gardens, which are five gardens in 7 and a half acres.

Michigan State has a longstanding reputation in the field of horticulture. The university is the site of the William J. Beal Botanical Garden, which was established by Professor Beal in 1873. This fine, well-labeled collection of plants is used as an outdoor study laboratory by the students and is the oldest continuously operated botanical garden of its kind in the United States.

Also, Liberty Hyde Bailey, who is often thought of as the father of American horticulture was a student of Professor Beal and later became an assistant professor at the school. He designed the first horticultural building and laboratory in the nation. There is a life-size bronze statue of Dr. Bailey in the new garden, and in his hand is a bouquet of dianthus, a favorite flower of his mother. Dr. Bailey always planted dianthus somewhere in his garden. Liberty Hyde Bailey went on to fame at Cornell University, where he wrote horticulture books still considered authoritative.